Darius the Great Is Not Okay

When Darius wakes up, he ventures outside, where he sees Babou climbing a ladder up onto the roof of the house. Babou then calls out for a boy named Sohrab, who is standing in the garden with a hose. Noticing Darius, Babou tells him to help Sohrab.

Darius awkwardly introduces himself to Sohrab, who is roughly his age and—to his relief—speaks English. Knowing how extended Iranian families can be, Darius asks if they’re related. Sohrab explains that they’re simply neighbors, before playfully turning the hose (which isn’t running) on Darius, as if to spray him: “I tried to glower at Sohrab, but it was impossible, because he was squinting again and I ended up laughing instead” (88). The boys take the hose to Babou so he can water his figs, which Sohrab says are the best in the city. Darius worries that his grandfather will fall from the roof, and Sohrab tries to reassure him. 

Babou comes down from the roof and somewhat formally greets Darius. To Darius’s embarrassment, he also says that Darius should make friends with Sohrab. After a brief conversation with Babou in Farsi, Sohrab invites Darius to come with him to his uncle’s store. As the boys walk through Yazd, Darius takes in his surroundings: “The Yazd in Mom’s old photos gave me a holodeck vision of it: crisp and static and perfect.